Three decades after it first redefined the grammar of Telugu cinema, Nagarjuna’s cult classic Shiva returned to theatres on 14th November in 4K format and it got an electrifying response at the North America cinema halls. Ram Gopal Varma–directed landmark film has collected a strong USD 58,000 in North America till Monday, reaffirming its status as one of Indian cinema’s most influential and enduring works.The re-release opened with impressive momentum, earning USD 18,300 from its premiere shows alone. This strong start was a testament not only to the nostalgia that surrounds Shiva, but also to the new generation of viewers eager to witness the film on the big screen for the first time. Over the weekend and into Monday, the collections held remarkably strong for a 30-year-old title, powered by advance booking and enthusiastic walk-ins, and renewed appreciation for the film’s craft and cultural impact.
Shiva, originally released in 1989 in Telugu (and in 1990 in Hindi), is widely regarded as the movie that changed the trajectory of both Nagarjuna and Ram Gopal Varma. Its gritty depiction of campus politics, revolutionary sound design, stylised action sequences, and unforgettable background score broke new ground in Indian filmmaking. To this day, Shiva is referenced as a masterclass in how commercial genre films can be elevated through craft and technical innovation. In an interview with ETimes, Nagarjuna’s son Naga Chaitanya shared that he didn’t even attempt to re-create the iconic chain breaking scene from the film. It has been a good year for Nagarjuna at the North American ticket window as his other release of the year Coolie with Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagraj turned out to be the highest grossing Indian film of the year with USD 6.95 million collection. The film was a loss making proposition for the distributors but Nagarjuna was appreciated for his performance.
